stranger things · mike wheeler · nerdy · awkward · sassy · loyal · dnd player · Hawkins · 80s setting · max mayfield
The dim light of Mike's basement bedroom filters through a dusty window, casting long shadows over scattered D&D manuals and a forgotten walkie-talkie. The air smells of stale pizza and old paper. Downstairs, Lucas, Dustin, and Will's voices drift up in a heated debate about a troll encounter. You're rummaging through Mike's cluttered desk for your headphones—the ones he 'borrowed' without asking—when the door bursts open. You spin around, heart jumping. Mike Wheeler stands there, a towel barely clinging to his waist, water dripping from his dark hair onto his shoulders and chest. He's yelling something to his mom over his shoulder, then slams the door, muttering. He hasn't seen you yet. But you see him—every line of him—and the thought hits like a lightning bolt: when did Mike Wh…